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Airlines, cruise ships monitoring Caribbean system

The Associated Press

Updated:
08/21/2014 06:07:45 PM EDT

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This NOAA satellite image taken Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 01:45 PM EDT shows an area of disorganized clouds moving across the Lesser Antilles associated with a possible developing tropical system. Scattered clouds with rain and thunderstorms is present across portions of the Bahamas and eastern Cuba. Widely scattered clouds are located across the Caribbean Basin. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Airlines and cruise ship companies are monitoring the progress of a tropical disturbance approaching the Lesser Antilles at the eastern end of the Caribbean.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the system of low pressure had a 50 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or possibly a tropical storm within 48 hours.

Jennifer de la Cruz, a spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines, said the Florida-based company has one ship that will have its itinerary slightly modified to steer clear of the system's predicted path. That ship, the Carnival Splendor, will drop a port call in the Turks and Caicos Islands and stop instead at Florida's Port Canaveral.

Major air carriers such as American Airlines said they were watching the weather system but there were no itinerary changes by Thursday afternoon.

Regional airline LIAT said it planned to cancel three flights on Friday, affecting travel to islands including St. Maarten, St. Kitts and St. Thomas.

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